Pitcher shooting suspect still in serious condition

PITCHER – A press conference held Friday afternoon at the Chenango County Correctional Facility shed further light on a shooting incident that took place Aug. 30 in the Town of Pitcher, one that led to the suspect being airlifted for medical attention due to a gunshot wound inflicted by a sheriff’s deputy.

No charges have yet been filed against the alleged shooter, Patrick W. Ford II, 42, of Norwich, although a joint investigation by the Chenango County Sheriff’s Office, New York State Police and the county’s District Attorney’s Office continues.

According to Chenango County Sheriff Ernest Cutting Jr., authorities first received notification of a motor vehicle accident near 760 state Highway 23 at approximately 6:35 p.m. Thursday. Two sheriff’s patrols were dispatched to the accident scene, said Cutting, and residents at a nearby home observed a Chevrolet pick-up truck in their yard.

“The truck had struck a mailbox and had become entangled in a guide wire of a utility pole in their front yard,” read Cutting from a prepared statement. “Residents observed a male subject, with a young male child in the pick-up. The subject exited his vehicle and appeared to stumble around their yard.”